Small Footprint Pellet Smoker

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

das85 FWIW there have been a lot of MAK 1 and 2 stars for sale lately, at least 1 a month. Most are owners upgrading to the newer versions especially now that they offer a lifetime warranty. Have seen at least 3 MAK 1 stars for 500-800 bucks, and a couple 2 stars under 1200. For the most part the older models are still upgradable partially if not fully.

I've also seen a decent number of Yoders on Marketplace and Craigslist for under 1K

So he should really keep an eye out in those spaces

I personally would never recommend a Traeger below the Timberline series, and even then not at MSRP. There are many competing grills of similar size, often with better quality or more features with the smaller grills.

I guess it really comes down to how much space he has.

A wrench to throw at ya, If the primary goal is a turkey I would actually suggest the Big Easy SRG. It was the best bird cooker I ever owned and with chips or pellets in the smoke box provided an acceptable level of smoke for poultry as well as pork butts. Not so great at smoking other things, but also made a decent gas grill. I ended up giving mine to a friend to experiment with smoked ingredients for beer, there's a huge following on other BBQ forums with detailed hacks to lower the minimum temp as well as to get more smoke.

[das85]

Interesting! Never heard of Big Easy, I'm now looking into for myself as well.. In this case I think turkey is one of the requirements but I'm not sure primary goal.

Also good point on MAK/Yoder resale.. I will look into that as well.

[STEbbq]

I might as well recommend the MB Gravity series.

https://www.masterbuilt.com/collections/gravity-series

They have a nice cabinet version too.

https://www.masterbuilt.com/products/40-inch-digital-charcoal-smoker

AR Cabinet review:

https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/smokers/masterbuilt-40-inch-digital-charcoal/

My thoughts:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/charcoal-grills/masterbuilt-aa/1056007-zero-credit-masterbuilt-560-review-ongoing-thoughts

[das85]

Very interesting thanks! Didn't know they made a cabinet model. Will add that to list for consideration. Have you ever had issues getting things lit in startup? The user here is a first-time smoker, and while I personally am a fan of charcoal gravity design, my sense is that pellets are still a little more foolproof for now, though would love to see gravity catch up over time.

(Also this is off topic but reading the thread you linked - have you tried Jealous Devil lump?

[STEbbq]

I have not had material issues lighting except once. One time I did notice the new charcoal grate essentially became clogged so once I removed it and let the ash fall into the bucket, it was resolved. While I do not have a pellet smoker, the startup processes are virtually identical so I don’t know if one is more foolproof than another.


I have not tried JD. I am unlikely to do so because of cost but also I tend to think bigger chunks of lump are less ideal for the MB.

[STEbbq]

Right now, I have some Blues Hog, sugar maple, and FOGO lump so not too bad on the options. The bigger chunks are more handy for the kamado.